Former Black Stars and AC Milan midfielder, Sulley Muntari, has advised national team coaches to select players based on merit ahead of Ghana’s participation in the upcoming FIFA U-17 championship in India from October 6 to 28, 2017.

Lamenting alleged reports that players pay huge sums of money to attain call-ups into the national teams, Muntari said such practices have the potential to wane the talent stock that abounds in the country.

Though he admitted not paying a dime during his maiden call-up to join the Black Starlets, Muntari opined that any attempt to continue with the alleged extortion could have a dire effect on bridging the generation gap in the national teams.

“Ghana has raw and amazing talents but then most of them have to pay through to get up there,” he claimed on Football Legends Night Show on GHOne TV, adding that “but when I was picked to join the national U-17, I didn’t pay for one penny at that time, so I was just picked because they liked the way I played.

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“So we should go back to how it was back then and not about who you know but it’s your talent that will make you move forward and that is what we can do to bring the generation up.

“Look at the players that have played at the youth level in the past, we don’t have them anymore. So we should focus on our youth because there are lots of talents in Ghana but you don’t see in the national team,” the ex Inter Milan midfielder said.

Muntari who did not touch much on his return to the national team though he has expressed interest said “he is always available when Coach Kwasi Appiah deems it fit to employ his services to serve his nation again”.

Muntari is currently in search of a new club after ending his stint with Italian side, Pescara.